The superior of a 19-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) who suffocated to death after a firefighting operation at a...
The SCDF officer had allegedly left Sergeant 1 Edward H Go alone in a unit in Block 91 Henderson Road to fight the ongoing fire, without informing anyone.The NSF is the first firefighter to have died during a Singapore Civil Defence Force firefighting operation.
The autopsy certified that Sgt 1 Go died of suffocation due to a depleted air cylinder. The police said investigations did not find any evidence to suggest Sgt 1 Go’s death was due to equipment failure. The review found that SCDF doctrine on firefighting is consistently and systematically taught to officers and is practised on the ground, said Mr Yap.
These lapses are not uncommon in a dynamic situation like a firefighting operation. But to minimise them, Mr Yap said SCDF has tightened measures, including making sure that equipment is checked upon arrival before entering the site of a fire. Sgt 1 Go’s family has been informed about the planned charge against the officer and the autopsy findings.